Semil Shah

Semil Shah (born January 27, 1977) is a technology investor, startup adviser, and media personality. He is the founder of Haystack, a tech investment firm notable for being an early investor in such companies as Instacart and Doordash. He is a venture adviser to GGV Capital and Bullpen Capital, and also serves on the advisory boards for StrictlyVC and The Alpha Network. The series, In the Studio, featured interviews with leaders in the fields of technology, startups, and investment. Past notable guests on the show include David Sze, Peter Fenton, and AngelList co-founder Naval Ravikant. From 2009 to 2010, Shah was also a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review.
Shah was listed as one of the 55 Unknown Rock Stars In Tech by tech venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, and has served as a commentator on Bloomberg TV.
Life and career
Entrepreneur
Shah graduated from Harvard University with a Masters in Economic Development and Strategy in 2008. In 2009, Shah began his entrepreneurial career when he helped found MegaCell Therapeutics, a life sciences company in Boston. Shah additionally served as an adviser to the company, and helped guide it in its acquisition by Live Nation in July 2012.
In 2013, Shah was one of the first employees at Swell Radio, a mobile radio streaming app that learned user preferences based on listening behavior. Shah was involved in mobile product development, marketing, and distribution. In July 2014, the app was acquired by Apple for $30 million.
Venture capitalist
After working as an operations executive for several years, Shah began consulting for venture capital firms including General Catalyst Partners, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. As a consultant, Shah provided input on deal evaluation, due diligence, and marketing.
Additionally, Shah is a venture advisor to GGV Capital and Bullpen Capital, As of July 2015, Shah continues to write about the tech industry on his personal blog, Haywire.
In January 2015, Shah was invited as a guest on Bloomberg TV to provide his thoughts on the sharing economy and Instacart's growth.<ref name="bloomberg.com"/>

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